Thunder and Lightning
by Innoverse
Summary: During a thunderstorm, Sally Jackson comforts her son and remembers exactly why she made the choices she did. Sally's POV. One-shot. Rated K plus for angst.


**Hi! Innoverse, here. I've had this story in my head for the past few hours... so I decided to write it out. What can I say? I've been on a Sally/Percy kick today. Percy as a kid... adorable fan-fics. Haha. :) I hope you like the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sally, or Percy. Gabe either, though... I don't really want to own him. **

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**_- Thunder and Lightning: Sally's POV -_**

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Sally was exhausted.

She dragged up the stairs to her apartment after a long day of selling candy and pretending to be nice to strangers, even if they treated her like the lowest-of-the-low just because she was stuck selling candy and they had some important job. Sometimes, Sally wondered how the human race could be so arrogant.

She flung the door open with an exhausted sigh, and tried to ignore the fat, ugly sleeping man that was currently lounging on _her_ couch. Every day, Sally wished she could just kick Gabe out and never see him again, but she knew she couldn't. Because then, she might as well have been kicking her son out, too. And he was much, much too young for that. Sally couldn't loose him, too. He was the only thing she really valued anymore.

The door to her—_and Gabe's_, she thought bitterly—room creaked open, and Sally thrust her purse out onto the bed. She changed out of the gods-awful uniform she wore at Sweet on America, and into a baggy t-shirt and sweat pants, and threw her brown hair up into a ponytail. She didn't care what she looked like anymore. Besides, she was home anyways.

She walked out into the living room, watching as rain rolled down the windows. Every so often, a flash of lightning would illuminate the room, and Gabe's enormous body. A clap of thunder would always follow shortly after.

One was loud enough to rouse the 'beast' from his slumber. He squinted in the low light, looking at Sally, who was standing in the entrance to the hallway.

It took everything left in Sally not to sigh in disgust, and put on a smile instead. "Hi, honey. I walked in a little while ago. I didn't want to wake you." _More like I never wanted you to wake up._

He said, "Good choice."

"I know you don't like to be disturbed," she said, that smile still hanging off her lips.

He grunted. "Bean dip, Sally."

Sally smiled at him, but as soon as her back was turned, she ground her teeth. She couldn't believe someone would be able to shamelessly order someone around that.

As she made Gabe's god-forsaken bean dip, the storm continued. Sally wondered why Percy hadn't come out to greet her, like usual. When she got home used to be the highlight of his day. He never liked spending time alone with Gabe, and Gabe didn't like it very much either. No matter how sweet and kind Percy tried to be to Gabe, he treated Percy like he was a rat. And Sally hated it so much that she'd accidentally chipped a tooth grinding her teeth.

She finished making the dip, and brought it and a bag of corn chips out to Gabe. He took them without so much as a thank you. At least he wasn't yelling at her.

"Gabe, have you seen Percy?" she asked him as he tore into the chips. Sally wanted to throw up. He ate like a pig.

He shrugged. "I don't pay attention to the little runt."

"Well, when's the last time you saw him?" she asked, choosing information over acknowledging his insult to Percy.

Gabe considered it as he bit into another chip. "Before lunch."

Sally's pulse quickened. It was nearly bed time. She muttered a quick thank you—a phrase that, apparently, wasn't in Gabe's vocabulary—and went back into the hallway. What if something had happened to him? What if something had gotten him? Some sort of monster... Sally didn't want to think about it.

She entered Percy's small room, and quickly scanned around. She didn't see him.

"Percy?" she called softly. Another flash of lightning flew through the window, accompanied by an especially loud thunderclap. Vaguely, Sally heard a muffled sob come from Percy's closet.

She rushed over, and gently eased the door open. Inside, she saw her small, five-year-old son cowering in a corner, shaking and crying, looking at her with wide, sea-green eyes. _Of course_, Sally thought. _He's always been scared of the thunder and lightning._

She pushed aside some of his shoes, and sat down next to him in the closet. She wrapped her arms around his small body, and pulled him to her. She could feel his tears soaking into her shirt, and the shaking of his limbs as he wrapped his small fingers around her own.

She stroked his hair gently. "Shh, Percy. It's okay..."

"Mommy," he moaned softly.

"Mommy's right here," she told him.

He continued shaking. She bent down and kissed the top of his head, and as she pulled her lips from his forehead, he grabbed her wrist with his tiny hand. Another loud clap of thunder sounded, and he cried harder, hiccuping and snuffling, almost like he couldn't breathe. Sally was hardly able to make it out when he whimpered, "Don't go."

She hadn't planned on leaving.

Sally pulled him into her lap, and rubbed his back as he coughed and sputtered, unable to breath because of the tears that were clogging his throat. "Calm down, baby. I won't let anything happen to you."

He coughed, and nodded a little. He settled into her, his tears slowing to a trickle as he relaxed slightly. Sally gently brushed the tears off of his cheeks, wiping them on her already damp shirt. She ran her hand through his hair, which was damp with sweat.

There was more thunder and he whimpered, starting to cry again, but Sally kissed the corners of his eyes and caught the tears with her lips. "Don't cry, Percy. It's just noise and light. It can't hurt you."

"Why is it so loud, mommy?" he whispered dryly.

"I don't know, sweetie," she said. "But I do know that you'll be okay."

"I will?" he asked hesitantly, looking up her, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Yes, Percy," she said softly, running her hand up and down his side. "We'll be just fine."

"Even Smelly Gabe?" he asked innocently.

She stifled a smile. It was a fitting nickname. "Even Smelly Gabe."

Percy made a face. "I don't want him to be okay."

There was another flash of lightning. Percy jumped, but he didn't start crying again. "You shouldn't wish that on anybody, sweetie. No matter how much you dislike them," she told him, even though she really wanted to say,_ I don't either, Percy._

"Sorry," he said, sniffling and wiping his noise on the back of his hand. "Smelly Gabe doesn't like me, though, mommy."

"I know, Percy," she said, gently resting her hand on the side of his face, keeping him close to her chest. "But it'll be okay."

"It'll be okay," he echoed, yawning quietly. Sally looked down at his face. There were dark circles under his eyes. She began to hum a soft lullaby, and in a few minutes, Percy had fallen asleep in her lap. She smiled softly to herself, looking down at his sleeping face. Sally found that Percy was the only thing that made her truly smile anymore. He was just so adorable.

She sat for a moment, him breathing quietly as he slept, before she finally lifted him gently, and walked over to his bed. She tucked him into his sheets, and gently smoothed his hair out of his face. She kissed his forehead. Looking at him, she remembered why she was putting up with Gabe in the first place. Why she could fake a million smiles. Because if she did that, she'd smile a billion more real ones for Percy.

"Yes, Percy," she said softly, as she stroked his hair, "It'll be okay. For both of us."

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**It seems I'm the master of angsty fanfiction. But... I just love Percy/Sally motherly moments. They're heartwarming, you know, realizing how far someone would actually be willing to go for their child. I just love Sally's character _so_ much.**

**I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated. :)**


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